Locked and alone
by Monkey D. Rio
Summary: Ranma has been locked immediately after gaining the curse, unable to prove who she is Genma leaves her on her own and she has nowhere to go. What will she do? Read on and find out. OOC,AU and possible OC's. Pairings undecided. Rated T because I can't help myself sometimes, it may rise later. Humour will come in later.
1. Chapter 1: Locked and left

**Locked and alone**

I do not own Ranma ½, it ultimately belongs to Rumiko Takaheshi.

This story has not yet been beta'd and was done on the spur of the moment, so I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1:

We all know how Ranma Saotome gained his Jusenkyo curse, there are many versions of the event told throughout existence, and many are the same while some are different.

This one counts as the latter, though not much is different. Ranma kicked his father towards the spring of drowned panda, and the two had not heard the guides warning.

He heard the last warning though.

"No, MR Customer cannot fall in spring" He bellowed in broken Japanese. "Springs are cursed, and any who fall in doomed by same curse".

Now, Ranma is not a superstitious person, but he preferred not to take the risk, where family was concerned anyway, and as much as he sometimes wishes it was otherwise, Genma IS family.

The younger martial artist kicked at the air, putting enough force into it to change his direction mid-air, and dove towards his falling father. Catching up to the elder he swung him away from the spring, and changed his own direction so as not to fall into the pool himself.

Genma, of course had not realised the spar was over, believing this to be a follow up he grabbed his sons cleaner GI, flinging him across the way and directly into another pool.

He then landed on his own head, knocking him unconscious.

The guide waited for the younger Saotome to resurface, a pipe in hand. "Oh too bad" he said as the new figure broke the surface of the water "You fall into spring of drowned girl" a sign with the Chinese translation appeared in his hands, "tragic legend of young girl who drown there over one thousand year ago".

Ranma hardly registered the man's dialogue, as he was currently staring in disbelief at the two new additions to his chest.

_Ok Ranma_ he thought _Its not that bad, you aren't sure its all gone so…._

As he thought this his hands, still underwater, went to his trousers and felt for….. Something that wasn't there. Needless to say what he found and what he _wanted_ to find were two completely different things.

"WHAT THE HELL"!? She screamed, her hands immediately going to her throat even as the words left her mouth.

"It as I say Mr Customer" The Chinese man informed her "you fall in spring of drowned girl, now you girl".

Ranma mouthed the words in disbelief for a few moments, then she got mad, turning to the idiot she was forced to call father she got ready to rip him a new oriphice. Only to find said idiot already out cold.

Not being the type to kick an enemy when their down Ranma tried to think of some other form of release, she couldn't hit the guide, he **had** tried to warn them, saved her father from being cursed as well, and was currently offering to tell her about some kind of cure. She was tempted to cry before that last thought caught up to her.

"Did you say cure"? She asked eagerly.

The guide nodded, "I thought you might hear that bit" he laughed "but I afraid that it no permanent, Jusenkyo curses are trigger by cold water, warm water will change back".

Ranma felt like crying again, yet through a mix of telling herself that men don't cry and trying to think positively she managed to drag her father back to the hut without more than a single sniff.

"By the way" she said, mainly to start a conversation and direct her thoughts away from brooding "My names Ranma, I've never been one for being too formal" She admitted while scratching the back of her head slightly nervously.

"I am Ling" The guide told her with a smile, "It pleasure to meet you Ranma".

Ling came to Ranma with a filled kettle, it had been put over a flame in the kitchen but was not overly hot.

"I will pour water over your head Mr Ranma" He said "Will cause change and you will be man again".

The redhead nodded, with that motion noting for the first time that she was indeed a redhead right now. "That'll be nice" she said.

With that Ling did as he said, letting a small flow of water fall onto his guests head. His reassuring smile however soon faded, replaced by a confused frown.

"What's wrong"? Ranma asked "why didn't I change back" she immediately questioned upon hearing her still very high pitched voice. She quickly started panicking again, as it was clear the guide…ling was as stumped as she was.

"I'm not sure" He said after a short pause, then tested the water with his hand. "Kettle is not cold, water should have turned you back, one moment" he turned back to the burner, waiting for the water to heat up to near boiling point before returning to her.

"This will sting Mr Ranma, sorry" And immediately upended the entire kettle over her head.

Ranma didn't cry out, having a high pain tolerance she merely closed her eyes and hoped.

She opened them again to see Ling was already over the other end of the room, searching frantically through a small book. Ranma walked over to him, knowing without checking that it hadn't worked. She saw the book was handwritten and apparently no single person ever wrote more than a single paragraph. If her basic Chinese was right then the language was a lot more archaic just a few pages before the current, showing the book must only be written in once every few hundred years.

Ling was frantically looking through his predecessors' notes on strange (er) happenings at Jusenkyo, though he had read the journal more than a few times before he had never EVER come across something like this. There was only the locking ladle that could lock someone in their cursed form indefinitely, and that was currently in the hands of the musk, who he hadn't seen hide nor hair of for several months.

"I don't know what happen" He admitted after re-reading the book several times. "I never seen someone locked as soon as cursed before".

Ranma sighed, the small consolation that she could at least turn back to her guy form had been dashed and if anyone should have known what was going on then surely it would have been the man tasked with guarding it.

"I'm stuck like this right" she asked rhetorically, looking to the unconscious lump that was her father, "He's not gunna take this very well".

Ling thought for a moment "We should wait until Mr Customer wakes up" he suggested "Then we could tell him about problem, and then I can show you to Amazon village, Elders there may know of way to help".

Ranma looked to him sharply, "Could they help"? She asked, daring to hope.

The man shrugged "I no sure, they may and It never hurt to try".

The redhead could only agree with that, knowing that those who don't try never get anything in life.

And so they waited for the elder to wake.

As it happened they didn't need to wait too long, Genma's own training meant that he was a very fast healer, and you never stay unconscious too long with Soun as a training partner, the cheeky sod.

The elder Saotome got up from his prone position on the ground to see that he was no longer outside but in a small room with a well-used but homely feel to it. The guide was also sitting nearby with a young redheaded girl, who held more than a passing resemblance to a younger Nodoka, the wife he'd left behind to train his son.

"Where am I"? He questioned as soon as he was awake, "And where's my good for nothing son" he added.

Ranma grit her teeth but held back a retort as she knew her father was about to get a proverbial kick to the nads.

"Well Mr Customer" Ling began, "If you remember I tried to warn the two of you about the springs".

Genma interrupted gruffly, "Yeah, yeah I remember something about a curse, some silly native hobgoblin".

Ling raised an eyebrow in Ranma's direction.

"Yeah" she muttered so Genma never heard, "he's always like that".

The Chinese native shook his head, "I promise sir it no 'silly tradition', people who fall into springs take form of whatever drown in spring last, be it man or beast, and you nearly fell into spring of drowned panda".

The bald martial artist nodded, humouring the man for the moment. He had seen some magic in his time so thought it might be worth hearing him out.

"You're son heard me at last second, and saved you from falling in".

Genma smirked slightly, "good man, there's hope for him yet".

Ranma smiled a little too, knowing that was high praise from the elder martial artist.

"But, you may remember throwing him in mid-air yourself"? Ling questioned.

Genma squinted, trying to remember, "I don't quite remember, I think I landed on my head"?

Both of the others nodded. "You didn't right yourself in time" Ranma critiqued, as they usually would do so together post-spar.

He looked taken aback slightly by this "Of course not, I was merely demonstrating how NOT to land" he emphasized.

"Of course" The redhead said sarcastically, but was interrupted from saying more by Ling cutting in.

"Well, sir, you did throw Mr Ranma into another spring, and now he is cursed".

"Bull" Genma immediately stated, "I don't believe this crap, if he's cursed then where is he"?

It was Ranma who answered, "I'm right here pop".

Genma's eyes dilated at being called that in such a familiar tone by the redhead in front of him, "Impossible he said, if that's the case then were both….." He started thinking in obvious panic.

"We're what" Ranma asked curiously.

Ling on the other hand was immediately suspicious, fear, worry or even outright hostility he was expecting. Panic, not so much. His eyes quickly sharpened as he came to a realisation this man didn't want an explanation, he wanted an excuse.

Genma's thoughts were going a mile a minute, trying to figure out how he could make this better, he enjoyed life, and didn't want it to end. He sieved through his memories trying to find something to help him, when he came across one from long before Ranma was born, it was even before he knew Nodoka.

His master, who shall not be named by him, was telling him and Soun about an old conquest of his, some woman in China who lived near Jusenkyo a few hundred years ago. He warned them never to go there in fear of turning into an unnatural form and only turning back through the use of hot water. This was on top of the fact that the place was a constant battle ground between three tribes, one of bestial half breed's led by a mighty dragon, another of birdlike warriors led by an actual god who couldn't die. The third was by far the worst he had said, a tribe of horrendous half dog women warriors, led by a bitch-queen (or queen bitch, he couldn't actually remember exactly which he had said).

Of course it was the first fact he latched on to now.

"Ha" The bald man exclaimed, "Now I know how to prove your lies" he stated, "My old master had told me of these springs many years ago, and he told me cursed victims return to normal with hot water".

Ranma was gobsmacked and became unresponsive to Lings gentle reassurances.

The latter looked to the elder 'customer' with a wary glance _He knew about Jusenkyo yet still he came, with his young son to boot?_ He thought incredulously. "I am afraid that your son's curse has not been affected by the water, so if you will come with me tomorrow I will take you to amazon village so you can ask the matriarchs for help" he pleaded his case.

This last part merely cemented Genma's own caution "So" he chuckled "You're trying to get me to the amazons eh, well my master told me about them too, I should thank you though, I doubt I would have found out where my son is so quickly on my own".

Ling was left speechless at this leap in logic "I don't understand what you mean sir"? He was going to go on but that was when another spoke up.

"You knew"? Ranma asked, disbelief plain on her face but with a simmering anger just beneath. "You knew about the curses but still brought us here"?

Genma merely smirked "I don't need to answer to _you, _little girl".

The anger quickly overshadowed the disbelief in her eyes now, growing into rage. "Baka oyaji" she charged at the man, a red blur as she went for him.

Genma was surprised at the speed with which she moved, she was obviously trained, (_though why they'd train a woman I'll never know_).

Despite her speed Genma managed to dodge her starting volley, noticing that the girl was almost falling over every time she took a step, as though she was trying to walk like a man. _Don't fall for it Genma old boy, it's all an act _He thought.

Ranma couldn't understand why she had almost ended up on her face there, she had done that countless times before without that happening. In her state of mind however she was not exactly thinking of why she wasn't hitting, just that she wanted to hit him.

Of course this lead to Genma swerving around most of her punches, and she only managed to hit him when he got cornered.

Again however, Ranma and Genma both noted the strength of the hits were not as those of male Ranma, or in Genma's case _his_ Ranma. Genma, as a big man who had been around was not as affected by the single hits as some would have been, though in concentrated amounts they could easily compensate in numbers what they lacked in power. Ranma of course was just getting more and more frustrated, leading to sloppier attacks.

The elder Saotome had to admit she had _some skill_ but if this was her best then she had no chance against him.

"I'm leaving" Genma stated, slightly out of breath but not winded, "Hope I don't return". With that he used the only way he knew to get away from a faster opponent, dropping into the Umisenken.

As he left he heard the wail from the girl, it was filled with anger, and though he wasn't particularly attuned to feelings he thought he could detect a certain amount of despair, betrayal, though who betrayed her he wouldn't know and…loss?

Ranma was left standing on the side of one of the pools, not knowing what to do. She seemed to be unable to fight as effectively in this body and upon reflection, admitted she'd need to train to regain equilibrium. That was all in the back of her mind though as her conscious was trying to register a single truth.

_Dads gone._

Throughout Ranma's life Genma had always been there, it had always been the two of them, on the road, training. Ok occasionally he would do something stupid or drag him away from friends, or they would have to leave somewhere suddenly, but he would always be there. Even through the Neko-Ken, that hell on Earth, Genma had been there in the end, had even apologised on that one lone occurrence.

So, in this, the first time in years that Ranma had been left alone by his father, he did something else he hadn't done for years either…. She cried.

She wanted to blame the fact that she was a girl now but, deep down she knew, if this had happened when she was a he then he would have cried too.

Maybe not as much though.

Ling was in awe of the skill that was shown by those two martial artists, despite the elder obviously feeling less than impressed by the younger. He never knew that any outside the valley still put so much stock in personal skill.

All that aside, he was even more appalled at the way that the older man seemed to only hear what he wanted to, not even giving him chance to convince him of the truth, well in his opinion a man like that didn't deserve a child, let alone one who would risk cursing themselves to save him from the same fate.

He walked up to the quivering form in front of him and picked her up, she was surprisingly light, but felt like a tightened coil at this point. Walking towards his hut, he quickly put her onto the spare bed he had for Jusenkyo victims. He would take her to the Amazon's tomorrow and try to help her as much as he could.

Ranma slept fitfully that night, she had several nightmares where she was alone, and there were no monsters, no animals, no anything. She was simply alone in an empty space that she could never leave.

For someone who had never been truly alone, that was terrifying.

The next day found Ranma and the guide travelling up the mountain pass to the amazon's village.

"We nearly there" Ling told his charge, "The elders know more about the curses than I, so should help if we polite".

Ranma nodded. The sooner she was able to become male again the sooner she could show her father that she was Ranma, and she wouldn't feel so alone.

Ling smiled at her seemingly happier attitude, though he felt it prudent to keep her grounded in reality. "I know you excited, but elders may not know way either, it merely guess".

"What about the other tribes"? She wondered aloud.

"The phoenix are very careful to only use one spring occasionally" Ling informed her, "otherwise they stay up on mountain".

"Any more"? The redhead questioned.

Ling nodded "The musk use the spring you fell into to turn animal to woman, use to gain animal ability, they good if you want to lock curse, unlock… not so much".

The groan from beside him told the native that his meaning had been understood "So Amazon women are best to go to".

Ranma nodded sadly, this was a last ditch effort, if this didn't work….

She didn't really want to think about that.

**An; **Hey guys, what you think of my new story then? This is my first attempt at a Ranma1/2 story, and though the whole locked thing has been done before (a lot) I'm hoping to put my own twist in the road. I'm not sure who to make as the pairing, I was thinking of pairing Ranma with either Nabiki or Kasumi, though I'm not sure yet.

Those who are wondering about I.P, I am not giving up on the story, the reasons for stopping are on my profile and I promise I'll go back to it when I feel able to finish it properly. I'd rather not put together a hack'n'slash ending as I would feel like I'm insulting the readers.

Back to this story, I have a basic plan set up in my mind (and hard drive) for this story, yet it has room for manoeuvring and fine tuning, so if anyone has any suggestions I am fully willing to listen, hell I'll even redo chapters if a suggestions good enough.

So please read and review….. Flames will be admired from afar.

Ever watching….

Rio.


	2. Chapter 2: Ku-Lon and the Amazons

**Locked and alone**

I do not own Ranma ½, it ultimately belongs to Rumiko Takaheshi.

Thankyou to those who have favourite, followed, reviewed and anything else that is good for me. Even a single positive action can help motivate me.

**Answering reviews:**

Riniko 22: Interesting theories, you'll find out how close you are… eventually.

Forbinkun: interesting thoughts, I never intended Ranma to come across that way, maybe a bit less two-dimensional (he really is at this point in canon) but not younger. Also while I'm not denying your thoughts Genma IS an idiot, who sees what he wants to see. Ling does mention taking them to the amazons, starting off the idea, and Ranma seems trained, if not that good as she was nowhere near her best there, so wouldn't her being an amazon be a plausible thought if he didn't believe she was Ranma, and so it wouldn't take him much to believe some kind of 'evil' plot was at hand?

Devon ship'em: I'm actually not anti Akane, I just feel that, without a huge amount of change in one or both their behaviours they are just incompatible with each other. Though if the circumstances of their first meeting had been different their relationship would have had a much better start. Also Nabiki only sees Ranma as a money making opportunity true, but she's human too, and humans are never truly THAT two dimensional in (good) fanon or canon. Still unsure who to go with but I take in everyone's opinions… then I sleep, or type (probably sleep).

Zorknot: You didn't miss anything, I just haven't told you yet mwahahahha *cough, cough* errm.. Sorry 'bout tha'.

JohnStang: Sorry, but you'll have to wait to find out, and it was my intention for it to be an enigma at this point (yay it worked-kinda).

All reviewers: Thankyou for reviewing and I hope to continue holding your attention.

Still no beta, so sorry about any mistakes.

Also, please tell me if I go on too much, it's not intentional but I do like to type down what I deem important information before I forget about it myself. I have a terrible memory you see.

Anyway, on with the story.

**Chapter 2:**

Ku Lon, head matriarch of the Joketsuzoku and grand master of the Amazon Wushu, the villages own style of martial arts was sat outside her hut in the centre of the village. She was over three hundred years old and had worked hard to strengthen her tribe, forging alliances with the Chinese government and ensuring their continued survival, as well as being the strongest member of the village's council, the Joketsuzoku's only real counter to the likes of the dragon kings and the phoenix god.

The elder's age was showing too, her body had been shrunk down over the years to the point where she did not even reach where her younger self's knee would be. Then there was her hair, it had once been a darker version of her current great-granddaughters, more of a blue really, yet now it was as white as the clouds in the sky.

Even her taste of clothing was different now, once her clothes were bright and tight fitting, as she'd had, as westerners would say, a body to kill for. Now of course she preferred more conservative colours, dark green with red lining being a common occurrence in her wardrobe. The fit of the clothing was more of a robe, covering everything below the neck in a single sheet of cotton, allowing her small body free range of movement while giving off the revered feeling expected of an elder.

Then there was the staff, gods how she loathed and adored that damned staff. A tall gnarled piece of wood, charged by ki to harden it to near indestructible levels and cause an immunity to the bakusai-tenkatsu. She loved what it was, a trophy showing her power, telling all who meet her that she is the matriarch of her tribe through sheer power and skill in battle. But hated what came with it, few would talk to her normally anymore due to her numerous titles, normal villagers would merely defer to her for anything in a conversation and the warrior class were left star struck, always talking to her as a teacher, which she did enjoy, but never as a friend.

Then there was the other elders.

Lai-Dul, Bee-Dai and Par-Fum are all allies of Ku Lon in the council chamber, yet only Par-Fum, the oldest woman in the village at nearly seven hundred years old, ever talked to her in a friendly manner. The other two were polite to a fault, acting as though normal conversation was below them.

Then there was the other alliance consisting of Lu-Fah, Oori-Nal, Bai-Sin and Py-Ping, all of whom, while political adversaries, treated her much the same as Lai-Dul and Bee-Dai with over-polite conversation that was slightly suspicious at the same time.

And then there was Cuit-Lery, a strange elder, who knew more about the land around the village than anyone else, and was hardly ever inside the walls. She was also usually the emissary to the other tribes as she had this uncanny ability to disappear at a moment's notice. She had even managed to beat the cursed one using it years ago, though he had merely incorporated a similar, if inferior version into his own repertoire of skills. She also rarely came to the regular council meetings as she was completely uninterested in day to day politics, even going as far as to tell half the council to 'go forth and multiply with all manner of Buddha's creatures'.

She was a good friend, never caring about propriety and treating people the way they deserved. The best part was at five hundred years old Cuit-Lery outranked all but Ku Lon as matriarch and Par-Fum as her only elder in the village.

The matriarch smiled as she heard the commotion that always seemed to accompany the yearly tournaments, knowing that it was soon to be over. As the trainer of one of the contestants, her great granddaughter Xian-Pu, she was not allowed to take part as long as her student was still in the lists. The fact that she had not yet been called to watch was a testament to both her training methods and her heirs skill's as a warrior.

Ku-Lon would be proud of her granddaughter regardless of what path she took in life, yet that she was following in both her and her mother's footsteps in trying to become the elite defence force of the village, joining the warrior class and eventually the elders, was flattering.

Of course all of the Joketsuzoku are trained in warfare from a young age, but then there are those who follow the traditions of the true warrior class, learning from the elders themselves and being forever bound to the village, learning about ki, magic and the secret arts.

This was what the tournament was truly about, it was a test of all those in the village to see who was worthy of joining their ranks, the tests were not mere strength but skill and judgement. Only one would join their ranks every year, and most would never make it to elder.

Of course, Cologne was confident in Xian, she was her granddaughter through and through, having inherited her ability to learn new abilities, katas and styles quickly.

_Though arrogance is often the road to defeat _the elder thought knowingly.

Getting up, she dusted off her dress and decided to stretch her legs, she had meditated enough for one day.

At the front gates of the village stood the two guards who had literally pulled the short straws when guard duty was assigned that day. They had to watch the entrance of the village while everyone else was watching the tournament, though the one of them was much more put out then the other.

"_Why do we even need a guard here today anyway"?_ Bom-Chell, a tall blonde girl of about eighteen years asked in mandarin, _"Who would try to attack the village right now, with the entire warrior class and all but one of the elders here"?_

Ack-sed, a slightly shorter blue haired woman sighed in exasperation, at twenty two years old she was the older of the two and had long ago accepted not to question the elders, _"Elder Par-Fum said we need a guard, we picked a straw from out of her hand and we got the short two, end of story" _she answered.

The younger growled slightly _"With all the soldiers here you would think any guards would be sent out to the outer areas to protect the farms and patrol the borders"._

"_Look"_ Ack-sed interrupted, _"If you're that bothered about it then why don't you go to one of the elders about it, just don't drag me into it"._

"_And that"_ A new, coarse voice spoke from in between the two _"Is what makes us have guards on a day like this"._

Both Amazon's unsheathed their weapons while looking for the source of the voice.

"_Who goes there"? _They shouted in unison.

A raspy laugh filled the air as the one foot figure seemed to blink into existence, much like the elder Ku-Lon in facial features the similarity's ended there, this woman was slightly taller and had twigs in her hair. She also sported a shorter hair style that was a rather vivid shade of green, and her apparel was similar to a pant-suit that had been shrunk in the wash. Adding to the differences was that this woman held no staff, instead wielding a short curved sword sheathed at the waist.

Despite the fact that Cuit-Lery did not look like an elder of the Joketsuzoku she had earnt the title through both seniority and battle prowess so both gatekeepers dropped their weapons upon realisation of just who they were pointing them at.

"_Good"_ Cuit-Lery nodded at their actions before turning to the youngest _"In answer to your question, there is always a single elder, usually me, out patrolling the borders during the ceremony, this year it is Par-Fum, I however became vexed at having to sit still in plain sight for so long without falling asleep, so decided to take a walk"._ Bom-Chell nodded, frankly glad that this wasn't a reprimand.

However the elder was apparently not finished. _"Now the other reason we have what seems like pointless guard duty is to find the people who are willing to ask questions, use their heads, and who are just the drones that are going to mindlessly follow orders"_ at this the diminutive woman gave a side-glance to Ack-sed who was looking sheepishly at her feet.

"_Now, the Jusenkyo guide is coming toward the village with an outsider female, and I'm going to go meet Par-Fum, I never did like crowds, and Ack-sed do not be discouraged by what I said, I'm told pointing out someone's shortcomings can be helpful to their growth"._

The aforementioned woman nodded even as their superior appeared to blink out of existence, leaving naught but the single pair of footprints from where she had been standing initially.

The two resumed their stances at either side of the gate, standing to attention and schooling their faces into looks of watchfulness.

Yet, without so much as a slight change in expression, Ack-Sed said aloud, _"Note to self, don't question an elder unless it's an elder who wants to be questioned"._

Bom-Chell however raised an eyebrow quizzically _"Hows that work"_?

As there was no sign of the approaching visitors the older woman allowed herself a shrug.

"_Logic"._

Ling was glad to see the village in the distance, usually he would direct a recently cursed Jusenkyo victim to either the Joketsuzoku or the musk, as they had both agreed to help as their own skills in foreign languages far exceeded the guide (possibly due to their far greater lifespans), in the case of the Nyannichuan however it was rather important that he sent them to the Joketsuzoku, where better to learn to accept your female body than in a tribe of proud warrior women?, certainly not in the misogynistic lands of the musk.

And sending people to the phoenix? That would make him no better than a murderer in his book.

Now in this case Ling had more reason to take his current charge straight to the amazons, as he wished to explain personally to one of the elders, preferably one of the more agreeable ones like Par-Fum or Cuit-Lery. Ku-Lon was also accepting but she was the head matriarch and as such it was rare that he managed to see her.

He also knew that he needed to explain to Ranma about the village customs, for as much as he liked the boy turned girl he had quickly found she could be unintentionally insulting. He was an easy-going man, except when it came to swearing around his daughter Plum, but the amazons where not, swearing at an elder would be considered an executable offence, and a grave insult at one of the warrior class.

"Mr Ranma" Ling began, catching the redheads attention as she had been staring at a cat walking in the tree's for some reason. "I need to tell you, people we going to meet now are very proud" she nodded in acknowledgement.

"Yeah, warrior women I think you said"? She questioned, seeming slightly sceptical.

Ling ignored the tone used and continued, "Yes, and they have very" he paused for a moment to think of the right word "old timey" he thought aloud.

"Old fashioned"? Ranma supplied.

He smiled in thanks "yes, old fashion views on something, so please when we get there please no swear, also don't get into fight with anyone when we there as they have two law from long ago, If outsider man beat village woman, that woman is to force him to marry her to strengthen village"

The small girl's eyes widened at that news, "Ok".

The Chinese man was glad his point had been received properly, "and, what they hold you to for now, is if outsider woman beat village woman she has to kill her or die trying".

This caused Ranma to audibly gulp.

"They important rules in village, and they will follow" he warned.

"Point taken" She said uncertainly.

"Look on bright side" He chuckled "you say you woman they respect you more here, with you skills they will respect you more".

The joke would under different circumstances have made Ranma furious, yet with the depression caused by possibly being stuck as a female, as well as having been unknowingly deserted by her father, Ranma was willing to latch onto anything to lighten her mood, and she actually joined in with the light laughter.

In truth she owed a lot to Ling, as he had been trying to improve her mood the entire time they had been up, and had even challenged her to a game of I-spy, as she hadn't really had a childhood it had been a fun experience, achieving its purpose.

"Ah we here" Ling noted aloud as they approached the gate.

Ranma decided to take stock of the place, just in case. A habit picked up from years on the road with Genma.

The walls were wooden palisade, something Ranma hadn't seen since shed left the steppes to come back to the Far East just over a year ago. In most cases these were just tall enough to stop people from climbing over, but these ones were designed with Ki powered super human's in mind, needless to say Ranma would not be able to jump over those from a standing jump, and definitely not if occupied by something like a pursuing soldier.

The buildings inside, from what she could see through the gate mostly had thatched roofs and wooden walls, though she guessed bigger and more important buildings would be stone and have a wooden roof.

She could also hear a commotion from the village, as though they were having a festival of some sort.

The most interesting thing about the view however was the two women guarding the gate, both seeming to be somewhere around twenty, though she would believe them if they said they were only slightly older than herself. They were also both extremely **hot**.

'_Well at least the curse can't change THAT part of me' _she thought somewhat smugly, glad to still have _that_ little thing to hold on to.

The one on the left was a short blonde, though she was still taller than Ranma by about four inches, with bright blue eyes and wore a tight fitting brown cotton shirt and trousers, though they were loose enough to allow free movement. She also noted the woman wore no armour at all.

The guard on the right however had dark blue hair reaching her mid-back, her eyes were the same as her hair and she wore a red pantsuit that looked to be made of silk.

Both women had no armour, and both had a perfect hourglass figure. The only things that gave away that they were warriors at all was their rather high Ki levels, their stances, which was the stance adopted by guards in most countries around the world, and the rather obvious weapons attached to the women.

The blonde had a rather oversized axe strapped to her back, and it was clear to see sticking out from behind her while the bluenette had a knife strapped to either hip, and Ranma guessed she had a lot more hidden elsewhere.

While the redheaded foreigner was taking in the sights Ling was now talking to the blonde guard in Mandarin.

"_Good morning" he greeted her "I would like to speak to one of the elders please"._

The woman, recognising him to be the guide nodded quickly _"She Jusenkyo victim"? _She asked.

Ling nodded the affirmative, "Yes, I would not bother you otherwise" he assured, "though she is Japanese, so one of the elders who know the language would be best, or if we had an interpreter of some kind that would be helpful".

Bom-Chell nodded "I will find one of the elders" she told him while turning to her fellow guard.

Ack-Sed nodded to the unasked question taking a ready stance directly before the entrance.

The blonde turned to the outsiders, and said in heavily accented Japanese "Follow, please".

The three walked through the village, heading toward the commotion that Ranma had noted earlier. "Oh you having the festival today"? Ling asked, "It no seem like a year".

The blonde nodded, "please hurry, I no like crowds".

Ku-Lon was enjoying her walk, she didn't get to just go for a walk anymore. A gentle stroll for her would lead to half the village believing she was judging them all.

_Not today though_ she thought gladly _who would have thought I would enjoy something as simple as a walk through the village so much?_

The matriarch looked towards the gate, merely to see who was on guard duty, when she saw one of her younger students walking towards her, though apparently she hadn't seen her yet. It was the people with her who kept her gaze however, the Jusenkyo guide along with an outsider girl, an outsider girl with the gait of a trained fighter. Judging by her company she could guess that she was a Jusenkyo victim, probably came to the valley to train there, unaware of its danger.

"_Bom-Chell"_ The elder called out, catching the blondes attention _"Come here child"_.

The trio headed in her direction, with Ranma trying not to stare at the old woman. She had never seen someone looking that old, yet her Ki senses were going haywire just being near her. If it hadn't been for her recent defeat at the hands of her father, who she had long since thought herself to be on the same level as, she would have believed herself able to beat this woman, yet now she had been humbled somewhat and was willing to believe what her senses were telling her.

This woman was _way_ out of her league right now.

"_Good morning to you elder Ku-Lon"_ The guard bowed slightly.

"_Good morning to you too warrior"_ She acknowledged with a wave, both thanking the woman and dismissing her back to her post. The elder smiled slightly as she watched the redheads gaze follow the guard, or more specifically, her backside.

"_Greetings, honoured guide, what brings you to our village today"_? She asked formally, Ling understood the message behind the pleasantries, _this better be good male_.

"_Greetings to you elder"_ Ling answered similarly _"I have come to ask you for your aid in helping this newly cursed individual, she has been both cursed and deserted in a single day"_.

Ku-Lon nodded in sympathy for the girl _"I can sympathise with the latter, yet for both in a day, was the latter due to the former"?_ She asked.

Ling nodded, _"I would prefer if she told you the rest of her story however, as it is a personal thing"_ he requested.

The elder nodded, jumping atop her staff. _"Greetings young one" _She said, informally, for many outsiders did not understand the importance of formality, or didn't care.

Ranma panicked slightly at being spoken to in a language she did not know, but quickly bowed low, so as to lessen any insult the woman may see in her following actions.

"Good morning, revered elder" she spoke formally, dredging up memories of lessons in etiquette from what felt like a lifetime ago, memories she didn't even know she had. "I apologise but I can't speak your language and mean no insult".

She looked quickly to Ling, "please could you translate for me"?

The redhead was quickly thrown off balance however by the raucous laughter of the woman currently balancing on her staff. Ku-Lon quickly regained her composure to answer the girl "It is I who should apologise child" she said in perfect, unaccented Japanese "I was being almost insultingly informal with you, believing the outside world would not teach the importance of manners anymore, then one as young as you apologises to me in such a manner, It is a refreshing slap to the face, but a slap to the face nonetheless".

"Don't worry about it" Ranma shrugged it off lightly, "I've never been good with 'formal'" she admitted, "though I am surprised you speak Japanese so well, what with this place seeming somewhat isolated".

The small woman smirked, not the nicest of sites "True, but after three hundred years you learn a lot of things, I am Ku-lon, though most Japanese tend to call me Cologne".

Ranma smiled at how this initially intimidating woman actually seemed very friendly, "Ranma Saotome".

Cologne thought for a moment, "Ran-ma, wild horse correct"? She asked, with Ranma nodding the affirmative. "Well that would mean that you've fallen into the Nyannichuan"?

Ranma sighed, "Yeah, spring of drowned girl apparently".

"Then, would you like some warm water, I trust the guide has told you about that changing you back to male"? She offered.

Ranma shook her head, causing Cologne to raise an eyebrow.

"It doesn't work for some reason" The redhead told her, "That's why Ling brought me here".

The guide had spent the entire conversation feeling like a third wheel, he didn't want to interrupt as he was technically the lowest ranking one there. Now however he nodded to confirm the redheads words, "we try water until it was almost boiling yet still no effect, and I know for fact the musk weren't anywhere near her between falling in spring and now".

Cologne nodded "May I try"? She questioned.

The girl nodded, knowing full well that if these women couldn't help, and apparently the Musk wouldn't help then she was truly stuck like this.

Needless to say her nerves were killing her right now.

"Please follow me" the elder ordered, walking towards her hut.

The guide and the foreigner quickly obliged.

"By the way" Cologne said, in order to initiate a conversation she wanted to have with the girl. "I couldn't help but notice just how impressive your battle aura is".

Ranma chuckled slightly "That's high praise coming from someone who I could feel's presence from ten meters away, and I'm willing to bet your suppressing it".

'_Now __**this**__ is impressive' _the elder thought, '_she can feel my battle aura despite suppression, and at such a young age'_. "Flattery will get you everywhere with me" she teased "Though I am curious, are you a 'martial artist' as the Japanese call them these days".

The redhead nodded, "I'm gunna be the best" she boasted, "though I've got a lot of work to do" she noted, admiring the diminutive woman's aura, and remembering the unknown techniques her father used.

Cologne smiled at the conviction in her voice, the girl had the drive, and judging from her posture and movement she may have the skill too. With the right help, she may even stand a chance at completing that goal.

"So who trained you"? She asked.

"My father".

"A family art"?

"Yeah, though I think there's another family back in Japan who practice it as well". Ranma thought hard, "The Tendo's I think where their names".

Cologne nodded, "sounds like humble beginnings" she said, attempting to sound sagely.

Ranma snorted at that "nah, apparently the schools been around for a few hundred years, though pops reckons only one guy ever practiced it before he taught him and Mr Tendo, though he'd never name him, I wonder why….. er are you okay"?

The reason for this was that the elderly woman had stopped dead, seeming to stare at the ground. "You practice anything goes"? It was more a statement than a question.

Ranma nodded "Yeah, how'd you know"?

"I know your err… 'grand master'" she said, "a worthy fighter but a lousy human being, a thief, braggart and above all else a pervert he plagued the women of this valley for almost a decade before two of the elders at the time managed to chase him off".

Ranma didn't know what to say to that, she wanted to defend the man that had created her style, yet she'd never met him and apparently Cologne had, and when she thought about some of Genma's teaching's and his actions on the training trip she had to admit, the man who came up with the style must have had some shortcomings.

"Don't worry yourself about it though" Cologne assured her, "We tend to hold people to personal honour, rather than the honour of others associated with them, but…. Just watch who you tell what style you practice".

She nodded, assuming those to be words of wisdom from an insider.

They reached Colognes own hut not long after that, to find that there appeared to be a party going on inside.

Cologne smiled outrageously as she realised just what the party would be about, turning to her two guests she reported the predicament.

"It would be beneficial if we waited a while before testing your curse Ranma" she said, "It would appear my great granddaughter has won the festival, and trying to test a Jusenkyo curse in _that_" She gestured to where an already drunk man was starting a fight with one of his more sober friends.

Both men seemed pretty good as they started fighting, but the drunk one appeared to be having trouble aiming. As the two took weapons out of….somewhere (_I gotta learn how to do that _Ranma thought) before a small blur came between them, knocked them both unconscious and Cologne returned to her speaking position,

"Would only cause unnecessary attention and complications" The elder continued, as though nothing had happened.

Ranma nodded, slightly put out by having to wait but also being rather glad, as she was truly afraid of the possible outcomes of the curse being examined.

"Now that's settled, let's go congratulate my granddaughter"

**AN: **I think I'll end it there folks, and at just over four thousand three hundred words I think it is the longest chapter I've published so far, I would like to say that this will be the new average length of my chapters, but honestly I can't, it will be a target, but I will finish the chapters where and when I think they should be.

Again I would like to point out that I will probably not update regularly due to work, family and other such things, but I will try. The great things about laptops that, they're portable, though I wouldn't suggest using one on the bus. Most places it may fall out your lap, and round here…... that's only if you don't get mugged first.

On that happy note I thank you for reading my story, please continue reading and review, flames will be admired from afar.

Ever watching….

Rio.


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